Complicated
by MusicallyMajestic
Summary: Athena Hawkins is on a camping trip with all of her old army buddies. But when things go wrong, they meet the Avengers. And her world gets a lot more complicated.
1. Chapter 1

My name is Athena Hawkins. I'm an army vet. Off duty now. I am 24 years old.

"Hey, Atty. Can you pass me that?" Right now, I'm camping with some army buddies.

"Yeah, Si." I say to Simon, handing him can of beans. My other two friends, Kasi Daron and Laura Macker, are off hiking. Right now at camp it's me, Simon Jin, Leo Warner, and Kirsten Kahn.

"Food of the army." Kirsten says, pointing to the can of beans. We all laugh, when we were all in the same squad, that's the only thing we ate.

"I kind of miss the base, you know? I mean, it's kind of weird going home and feeling like you're going to melt through you're bed, it's so soft." Leo says. I feel similarly. Although, I don't miss the base.

"I don't know. I learned everything I know about fighting there. Which is fine...Exactly what I wanted to do...But at the same time, if you backed down, you were weak. I take backing down as a sign of courage, you know? Like, if you back down, at least  
you know your strengths and weaknesses." I add, Si and Kirsten nod in agreement. I don't add this, because they know I don't like talking about my powers, but, that's where I learned about my abilities and learned to harness them.

"Well we all know you aren't one to back down, Atty." Si says to me, taking a spoonful of beans. Suddenly, I hear branches breaking. Someone is running towards us at full speed. Two people. We army folks are also HIGHLY trained by ear. All four of us  
stand up abruptly. I see Kasi and Laura running towards us, making the "get down" motion. We all immediately go flat on the ground. And we all begin to hear the familiar sounds of gunshots.

Leo starts screaming and sobbing, crying out his boyfriends name he lost in battle. Kirsten scoots over towards him, trying to calm him down. Everyone else covers their ears. I try not to have flashbacks, try not to go back to the horrors I saw in Afghanistan.  
I start muttering to myself quietly. Then, I decide to take charge.

I motion for everybody to stay silent and follow me. On our hands and knees we shuffle through the forest. My heart sinks as I remember exploring this area, at some point we will come upon a sudden ravine. And I can hear the gunshots getting closer by  
the minute.

"Okay, guys. This will sound truly nuts, but we have to climb up into the trees, stay silent and don't move." I explain. They nod and we all begin climbing a tree. Kasi and Laura do it easy, despite their packs from hiking.

I can hear punching, the gunmen screaming, then silence. Leaves crunch beneath somebody's boots, a woman looks up the trunk of the tree I'm in, she has red hair and is dressed in all black.

"Who the hell are you?" The woman asks. I look like an idiot. I begin to climb down, when I get down to a low branch,I jump down right next to the woman.

"Sergeant Athena Hawkins." I can see everyone else has jumped down from their trees. I realize one thing, these are the famous Avengers...Or, infamous, if you're in the army. "So, you're the infamous Avengers?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"I wouldn't say infamous. Hey, Athena. How you been?" A familiar voice asks me.

"Sam?!" The man shows himself from behind the woman. "Oh my god! It's been forever, man!" I say, shaking his hand. We were stationed together for a while, I was there for him when his best friend was killed. We were really good friends back then. But,  
we haven't spoken in so long. Back then it was him, myself, Laura, and Leo. Laura and Leo got reassigned with me, and that's how we met Si, Kirsten, and Kasi.

"Sam! Jesus, man, where you been? Out with freaks, huh?" Leo asks, gesturing towards the rest of the team. "Man, you guys know the trouble you cause for the army, right? Always comin' in, moppin' up your messes with other countries." Leo asks, leaning  
on a tree. I shoot a 'stop it right now, you'll get us in trouble' look at him.

"Come on, Athena, you know the trouble they cau-" Kirsten is cut short, she reveals a bullet wound in her shoulder, and sinks to he ground, fainting. A man with a silver arm picks her up.

Suddenly, everything is kicked into gear. More gunshots sound and we begin running, when we get to the ravine, a woman with light brown hair surrounds a tree trunk in red mist and tips it over, makinga bridge.

"We go to the jet!"A man with blonde hair yells,he must be the leader or something. We all scramble across the trunk, and a large jet uncloaks itself. Everyone scrambles on the jet except me. I see the gunmen run across the log.

I board the jet. No one goes to fly it, I take it upon myself, I did get a bit of flying lessons in when I served. I go the control panel, it isn't like a regular plane.

"Are you kidding me? Will somebody please fly?" I yell to the rest of the people on board. A man with greying hair pushes me aside, closes the door, and gets us in the air. Everything seems calm again.

"Leo, what did you mean earlier: 'the messes you guys create'?" Sam asks, leaning his head against the side of the plane and taking deep breaths. When Sam asks it, everyone and everything goes quiet.

"The Avengers are kind of infamous in the army. The war in Sokovia, all your fault. The battle with Wakanda. And countless others, all your fault." Kasi explains, Leo still having a bit of a panic attack on the side.

"But...The peace talks. The treaties." The man with the silver arm says, almost as if he's pleading.

"I don't know, man. All we know is to go in and do what the generals tell us. That's it." Si finishes. Leo begins sobbing again, and having a complete breakdown. Kasi rushes to his side, helping calm him down again.

"What's wrong?" The man with blonde hair asks.

"None of your concern." I add, crossing the plane, and sitting by Leo and Kasi, Si follows. Laura is aiding Kirsten with her wound. Leo just sobs as we try and help him out. He let's out his boyfriends name a couple times.

"Who's Daniel?" The light brown haired girls asks.

"What is it with these people and wanting to know everything?" I mutter to Si and Kasi, they both crack a grin.

"What did you say?" Sam asks, his voice has turned rough and stern.

"I asked why you people needed to know everything. Some things are just kept private, Sam. I thought, you, especially, would understand." I say, turning on my heel and heading back to Leo, Kasi, and Si. The plane stays quiet for over two hours.

"Where are we going?" Laura asks, still helping Kirsten.

"Avengers Tower." A man with a large mechanical suit answers. The plane stays quiet th rest of the way there, except for Kirsten's occasional swearing and Leo's breakdown. Another threehours pass, this jet is slow. Finally, a robotic voice announces  
that we have arrived at our destination.

We all get off the plane, and we are led inside to a common area with leather couches and a metal coffee table. A bar sits not too far from it. We sit in silence. The woman with the brown hair goes somewhere, and the woman with red hair follows, carrying  
Kirsten, with Laura tagging behind.

"Where are they going?" Kasi asks, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. My brownhair is always in a ponytail.

"Medical ward. In the meantime, introductions. I'm Tony." The man with the mechanical suit answers. But he no longer has on the mechanical suit, just a tshirt, jeans, and sneakers. He carries a beer in his left hand and sits down. Everyone else except  
for me and my friends goes. I look at Leo to try and introduce himself first.

"I'm Leo. Leo Warner." He says, his tears have dried and he's mostly in shock now. I look at Kasi to be next. But Si goes next.

"I'm Simon Jin. Si to my friends." Si says, putting his hands on his knees.

"Okay, Si." Tony says, kind of pushing Si's boundaries. I don't mind, I'd like to see Tony get punched in the face.

"To my friends." Si emphasizes, leaning back and stretching his legs out. Tony puts his hands up to say that's fine.

"I'm Kassandra Daron. But I prefer Kasi." Kasi says, folding her arms and slouching a little more into the couch. I don't pay attention, so I don't realize I'm the last one.

"And you?" The blonde man, who I now know is Steve, asks me gently.

"I'm Athena Hawkins. Why are we here? Shouldn't we be addressing the police? Or the CIA? FBI? Somebody **important**?" I ask.

"We are important Miss Hawkins." A man with dark skin, a black trench coat, and an eyepatch says, stepping out of the shadows, a clearly excited balding man behind him who wore a suit, "and we'd like to ask you a few questions."


	2. The Storm

"What do you mean?" I ask the eyepatch man, who has introduced himself as Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. The balding man has introduced himself as Agent Phil Coulson.

"We need to talk to you about...Your experience." He says lightly, I assume he means how I got my abilities, either that, or...No, there's no way. "The Avengers will be joining us in each and every one of your friend's trials, including your own, for  
evaluation." The man says, standing completely still.

"What warrant do you have?" Kasi growls, standing puts an arm out to hold her back, but Kasi pushes it aside. "Read the goddamm Constitution of the United States of America! We have fucking rights!" Kasi yells, Leo urges her to take a breath,  
and she does, "that's the whole reason we do what we do and the Avengers do what they do. To protect each and every individuals rights. So I demand to know what's going on, and I demand to see a warrant." Kasi says, her voice eerily quiet.

"Well, here's our warrant." Agent Coulson walks and hands Kasi a piece of paper, she snatches it, giving the Avengers and the two agents a nasty look.

"We will tell you what's going on. Recently in our organizations labs they have discovered that a lot of people coming from the army have special...Abilities. When the Avengers were out on a rescue mission in those forests, it was just convenient they  
found you. The reason they'll be sitting in is because they need new team members. Those who have powers will stay. Those who don't will have to prove themselves." The director finishes his long speech. He's serious, I know because I've seen that  
look on many a generals face.

All of us, including Laura and Kirsten, are put into a large room with four black walls, a glass ceiling, and a court style room. Will this be like court? The Avengers and the two men file in and sit in chairs that are in a half moon shape that sit across  
from two chairs, I hadn't noticed that part of the room. Laura is the first to step forward. Coulson hands Director Fury documents, probably on Laura.

"Name. For the record, please." Coulson demands, pointing to an old woman who seemed to appear out of no where with a computer on her lap.

"Laura Macker." Laura says, they continue on questioning us, all of us. I am the last one. I assume it's on purpose.

"Name." Coulson demands, I consider shooting something sarcastic back, but I decide not to, here, it might get me shot.

"Athena Hawkins." I say, looking over at the old woman, slumping in my chair, and couldn't sing my eyes. I had done this a million times before.

"Occupation." Coulson asks. I really want to say something sarcastic, but my logical side says not to. I lean my head back, still with my eyes closed.

"RetiredSeargent of the US army, I served in Afghanistan, Sokovia, and Wakanda. Right now I study at Harvard for my law and politics degrees, but I'm planning to go to Juilliard afterwards for my degree in the arts." I say lazily, letting a heavy  
sigh pass my lips.

"Who was your general?" Coulson asks. I try and hold back a smile, but I can't.

"General Marcy Kinnon in Afghanistan. General Carson Ahmed in Sokovia. And, General Kay Addams in Wakanda." I say in a monotone. I'm beginning to become bored with this.

"Can you tell us more about General Marc-" I cut him off.

"'Anyinformation regarding Generals is subject to severe privacy rights. No agency outside of the military or the government may access such information under any circumstances.' I'm sorry, sir. But I can't reveal anything about past generals to  
your company." I say, a bit more serious now.

"We are a branch of the government." The director steps forward and says quite harshly.

"Oh. Doesn't look like it. A real government agency wouldn't have sent their director to do a simple interrogation on a bunch of Army veterans." I say matter of factly. I sit up in my chair and look the director straight in the face. I get up and heave  
a sigh, walking over to my friends, who are now beaming. Leo gives me a high five, he in particular had some trouble with them.

The electricity falters, and the lights go out. A crack of thunder can be heard and lightning can be seen from where we are.


	3. Powers and Trust

"Great. Absolutely wonderful." Si adds sarcastically. He rolls his eyes.

"All of you who didn't exhibit signs of abilities, come with me. Those of you who did, go with the director." Coulson explains. I follow the director, most of us do. Laura and Leo are the only ones to go with Coulson. We walk along a series of confusing  
corridors, until we get to a room with completely white walls.

"One by one, each of you will show your abilities. First up, Kasi Daron." The director says, taking a seat in a metal chair and leaning back, as if he's not about to see abnormal abilities. Kasi walks to the center of the room, her body starts to shift  
lower to the floor. And, she's turned into a lizard. Her body shifts again and she turns into the director, smiling smugly. She shifts back.

"Alright, that's enough. Simon Jin." Si stands from where he's sitting, the chair the director is sitting in begins to shift slightly, then the chair slides out from underneath and is lifted up into the air, with its occupier lying on the floor, confused.

"Telekinesis. Fine." The director says, Si puts the chair down, the director takes his seat again, Kirsten, Kasi, Si, and I all snicker. "Kirsten Kahn." He says, Kirsten smirks. She cups her hands, when she uncurls them, an ice ball is floating in her  
hand, she throws it against the wall, it doesn't break. Unsatisfied, Kirsten clasps her hands together and the ice explodes.

"Alright. Athena Hawkins." Now it's my turn to smile. I summon a dagger in one hand, and a small flicker of flame in the other.

"Right, then. That'll be helpful with the blackout. Okay, let's go meet the others out in the center room." I walk with my friends back to where we were. I hear talking between the director and Coulson.

"Let's go." The director says as soon as he sees us. Coulson and the directorexplain that they will be leaving, even if there is a storm outside, and instruct us to get to know our newteam. I roll my eyes. I have a feeling this isn't going  
to be good.

"Do you have a library?" Laura asks shyly. She's always loved books, don't get her started on Harry Potter, she will talk for hours.

"Yeah." One of them says, I can't quite make out who it is. Through the darkness, it appears that the rest of the team has gathered. "Follow me." The same voice says. I sit down in the hallway, Leo finds his way over to us and sits down next to us. We  
quietly whisper amongst ourselves.

"What does this mean?" Kasi asks. "The Avengers? This place? I don't know." She adds suspiciously. I can't see her hazel eyes, but if I could, I bet they would be full of concern.

"All I know is that these people can be trusted." Leo adds, I can see his silhouette in the darkness. He rubs his head with his hand.

"And how could you possibly know that?" Kirsten hisses, her wound bleeding again,not having gotten the proper medical treatment.

"Because they know my cousin, Peter. He goes by Spider-Man. Good kid." Leo says, anger in his still quiet voice.

"Sure they do. And I'm Steven Spielberg." Si mocks Leo. Leo's eyes gleam in the dim light as they shoot Si a look of anger. "Look, Leo, I'm sure he's a good kid. It's just that... They forced us here against our will. And how do you know your cousin  
is happy being on this team?" Si asks, Leo stays silent. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Si adds. I can see Leo and Si stare at each other, each one matching the others anger.

I can hear the sound of backup generators, and lights flicker to life. The boys tear away from their staring game to rub their eyes and get adjusted to the light. We all stay sitting.

"Why don't y'all come over here so we can talk?" A man with dark skin asks, he stands next to Tony. Leo is the first one to get up, he shoots one more angry look at Si. Slowly, the rest of us follow. We all sit down on the couch, which is covered in coffee  
stains. There's an awkward silence for a moment.

"Why are we here?" Kasi asks, the room remains silent, "I mean, like, specifically." Kasi finishes, clearing her throat.

"Welcome to the team." Sam says. Kasi eyes grow huge. He ignores her question.

"Sam... Tell us why we're here. Please." I look up at him, breaking my silence. He looks at me, then at Steve. Who I hadn't really noticed before. Steve runs a hand through his blonde hair.

"This is going to sound weird, Atty. But, we've kinda been monitoring you guys?"

* * *

 **Hello, everyone!**

 ****

 **I'm sorry about the delays, but I've just been so caught up seeing all the good movies coming out that I haven't had time! Please let me know if you enjoyed this story, because I have been pouring my fan girl heart into this!**

 ****

 **All my love,**

 ****

 **MusicallyMajestic**


	4. Answers

**I am really sorry for the hiatus, guys. A whole bunch of chapters I just wrote got deleted, so I am going to have to start all over with that. Please read and review! Let me know what you would like to see in upcoming chapters since I have to rewrite them anyway!**  
 **  
**

 **Love,**

 ****

 **MM**


	5. Where Do We Go From Here

I feel a sudden lump in my throat, as if I've begun to choke. I can feel an angry expression creeping its way onto my face, but, Idon't know what I feel. Or how to handle this situation, really. You can hear a pin drop in this room, no one says  
or does anything. Sam seems to be in a state of shock as well, his own face contorted in an odd expression. Finally, Leo coughs, and begins to speak.

"W-Why? How? I don't..." Even his stuttered sentence seemed to bring more life into the group.

"As soon as the explosion happened, the military notified S.H.I.E.L.D, and S.H.I.E.L.D notified us and told us to monitor you, we didn't have a choice. Believe me, Atty, I tried to tell them." He sits on the couch across from my own and leans on his knees,  
hisvoice is of a nearly pleading nature.

My body doesn't have a chance to react, but my brain does, it moves quickly and without hesitation, "Tell them what?" As soon as it escapes my throat, I regret it. I guess this is what it feels like in movies when the main character says something they  
will regret one day. My whole body seems to agree with me, because it has morphed itself into an uncomfortable position.

"Tell them you would react this way, tell them it wasn't right, that it was an invasion of your privacy."Sam says. I can hear my friends letting curse words loose under their breath, we all have seemed to have reached the same verdict; Hell. No.

I take a sharp breath in and slouch back on the couch, catching a glimpse of my friends equally horrified faces. We knew they were monitoring us, but not to this extent. Even Leo, who is usually calm, seems to have given into anger. Steve stands up next,  
putting a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Maybe I should show you to your rooms." Steve suggests, in a whisper tone. We all seem to nod in agreement, hypnotized by the events of the past few hours...Or, maybe just exhaustion. As we walked down the hallway, and my friends were led into their  
rooms, one question ran through my mind: Why us? And from that, other questions seemed to sprout, but there was no time for them now, it was just Steve and I now, and I wanted to be polite by making conversation, despite his first impression.

"They talked a lot about you, in the army." _Nice start, Atty._ I think to myself, giving myself a mental punch in the nose for the statement. 

* * *

_Athena Hawkins' Guide To Speaking To Captain America:_

 __

 _Step one:_

 _Make a really bad first impression by being angry all the time_

 __

 _Step two:_

 _Make sure to speak to him alone, because that way, there will be no one else to help you if you screw up majorly._

 __

 _Step three:_

 _Be super awkward_

 __

 _Step four:_

 _Bring up his traumatic past by talking about the army_

* * *

"Really?" He asks,maintaining his gaze ahead. I'm so glad he wasn't weird about it, a lot of people are weird when the other person is. _Wow, no, really? I didn't know that! You're so smart, Atty!_ I wonder why I'm so weird with him, maybe  
because he was born in 1945 but looks 25, I mean, for heavens sake, it's not like I have any issues with dealing with people who have traumatic pasts, I'm friends with Leo, I served in the army, I have my own issues, too. I'm no stranger to this,  
so, why do I feel so weird?

We round a couple more corners before we arrive, before entering the room, I glance back up at him, and try to bring a smile to my lips, "Don't worry, though, all good things." I seems to acknowledge the gesture with a small smile before  
leaving.

 _"Geez, tough crowd_ " I mutter to myself, closing the door. The room is nice. Becausethey've been monitoring me, and because I'm slightly salty, I expect the room to have everything I would have in my apartment, which it does. All my clothing  
seems to have been duplicated and stored in a walk in closet. Which I do not have in my apartment. The walls are sky blue, and decorated with photos that are oddly the exact ones I have. A television rests on a tan stand, where the remotes have been  
propped, on either side, books are stacked. The room is decorated in a way I like. The bed is normal, not my own, but with gray pillowcases, sheets, and comforter. I can't complain, it's nice. I hope my friends have the same.

I decide to flop down on the bed, I take a glance on the nightstand, where all the electronics I forgot at my apartment have been brought. I check them, and they seem to be just the way I left them. It's my apartment, but at the same time, it isn't. That's  
the way I feel about the Avengers situation, as well.

"Why us?" I ask out loud without meaning to, staring up at the ceiling. I feel like someone else out in the world is more deserving of becoming part of this famous/infamous team than we are. Someone who isn't broken. But to be fair, they probably all  
have issues of their own.

I'm left all alone with my thoughts. I hate it when this happens, because these are always my worst nights; flashbacks, PTSD, mental breakdowns, cheesy movies, getting drunk. Sure, maybe two sound okay. But the rest? There's no amount of alcohol that  
can soothe that pain, no matter what the Generals say. And even if there was, I don't see anyalcohol around. Damnit.

I decide to watch some TV. Since there really isn't anything better to do. I pick up the small remote, the exact model I have at home...Had at home, I should say. Is this going to be my new home? Question replaces questions, and every single time, I  
come up with nothing.

The TV flicks on to some odd show that I don't really pay attention to. Too many questions, too many thoughts cloud my head. Someone knocks on my door.

"Who is it?" I ask, sitting up, and switching off the TV.

"It's Tony." He says in a low voice.

"Come in." I say, flopping back on the bed. I can hear the door open, so I sit up again. Tony's face is paralyzed in shock, like he's just seen a ghost. "Take a seat" I point to one of the chairs, he obliges. I just flop on the bed, and decide to stay  
there.

"So, what's up?" I ask him, anxiety creeping its way into my tone.

"Athena...Atty. So, I've dome some research on you-"

"Yeah no kidding."

"-Anyways. It turns out that I know your Dad. And it's not just that it's..."

"I know, Tony. You're my uncle. He told me. My dad told me." I clench my fists because I knew this would come up. My dad, Jack, wanted to keep a low profile, so when he married my Mother, Mary Hawkins, he took her name. He never told me about Tony until  
I was a junior in highschool.

"He told you? Why didn't you come to visit?" He looks a little hurt by this information.

"I don't know. I guess he thought it was...Dangerous? Why don't you ask him all of this, I'm not a phone, you know." I retort, waving my hands in the air, I'm slightly running out of patience. For everything, I guess.

For the Avengers. For my parents. For my friends. For Tony. I feel like at a certain point, I'm going to explode. We shouldn't be here. That's the only thing I know for certain. "Go call him." I say.

A few seconds later, I hear the door close. I hope he does talk to dad, to his brother. And suddenly, I'm all alone again.

My brain suddenly clears and comes up with one question: Where do we go from here? 


End file.
